The Dress
by normerofeels
Summary: After realizing her wedding dress from her last marriage doesn't fit, Norma puts herself on a less than healthy diet. Normero and Dylemma friendly, set in season three. Trigger warning: This fic discusses body images. I think most readers will be fine reading this, it's just a precautionary warning. If you find anything offending, please let me know. Thank you!


Norma Bates was not fat. She was far from it. She was the type of girl that other girls looked at with envy. Men wanted her, women wanted to be her. That's just the way it was, the way it had always been. So why was she feeling so upset with her reflection?

Her fingers burned and ached at having pulled the fabric for too long. Her eyebrows scrunched together with frustration and she felt tears form in her eyes as realization settled down upon her like a veil of sadness. It doesn't fit. Her wedding dress doesn't fit her anymore.

She didn't know why she had decided to try it on. It had been hanging in her closet for years and then one day, she decided it would be fun to try it on.

It was not fun.

It had been three weeks since she first tried it on and realized she had gained weight. That was when she decided to begin her diet of only fruits and water.

Three weeks and the dress still did not fit.

She releases the fabric and quickly pulled it off of her body. She steps in front of the mirror, her eyes scrutinizing every flaw on her body as tears ran freely down her cheeks. She turns around, looking at her body from different angles, trying to find the beauty that was once so evident but now seems to have disappeared. At least in her eyes it did.

She glances down at the motel when a movement from the corner of her eye catches her attention. Alex walks out to his car from his motel room, carrying a box in his hands. Confused, Norma grabs her robe and runs out of her room while she slips it on. Norman was out with Emma and Dylan was at his farm so Norma felt no need to tie the robe until she reached her front door. She swung it open and jogged down the steps, hoping to catch Alex before he leaves.

"Alex?" she calls out as she sees him stepping into his car. He steps back out and turns around to face her. His eyes roam up and down her body before stopping back at her face.

"Norma. Hey." he says, closing his car door.

"Are you...what're you doing?" she asks, glancing through his car window at the boxes that fill his car. Alex glances back at his car before turning to her.

"Oh. Well my house is finally finished. I'm not officially leaving until tomorrow. But I'm moving some of my stuff before work." Alex explains to her absently, noticing the dark shadows beneath her eyes slightly red eyes.

"Are you alright?" Alex asks her, his eyes finally taking the time to notice the rest of the changes. Her cheeks were slightly sunken in, her skin was more pale, and her collar bone seemed to be showing more than usual.

"Yes." she says a little too quickly.

"You just...were you crying?" he asks. Her blue eyes glare at him, making him want to take a step back.

"Good luck with the move." she says, turning around and walking back to the house. Alex turns back to his car, stepping in and driving off.

He didn't return until late that night, his muscles aching from the exertion of having to chase down a young teen who had shoplifted from the market. He hadn't ran that far in years and it made Alex rethink skipping his morning runs.

These worries quickly disappeared when he noticed the motel office light still on, the open sign displayed in the window. It was odd for the office to be open still considering it is almost midnight.

When he enters the office he notices that no one is manning the front desk, leaving the back office the only other option for Alex to explore. He walks back and finds Norma sitting in one of the chairs, facing away from him, an almost empty bottle of whiskey hanging loosely in her fingers.

"Norma?" Alex asks, making her jump and turns around. Her usually perfectly curled hair was askew, strands hanging in her face in a way that was unbelievably sexy.

"Alex, you shouldn't sneak up like that." she slurs, smiling at him through jaded eyes.

"Everything alright?" he asks, still hesitating by the doorway as to not disturb the unusual scene before him. He had never seen Norma Bates drunk and he could tell he was in for quite a time.

"Oh everything is just... _peachy._ " she tells him bitterly, taking another sip of the liquid. Alex finally steps to her, taking the bottle from her hands and looking at the expensive brand.

"You just buy this today?" he asks, holding up the bottle.

"Yup. Just a few hours ago." she says, reaching for the bottle again. He pulls it away, ignoring her glare. He takes a swig of the liquid, enjoying the familiar warm burn in his throat that is left behind.

"Hey!" she says, reaching for the bottle again. He holds it away from her, looking down at her with curiosity.

"I think you've had enough, Norma." he tells her gently.

"That it not your decision to make, Alex." she tells him angrily. He sets the bottle down on the front desk and then walks back to her, kneeling in front of her.

"Who hurt you, Norma?" he asks seriously. Her gaze softens before hardening again, her chin raising up.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she tells him. He stands up, holding his hand out to her.

"Why don't we get you up to your bedroom." he offers. She pushes his hand away and slowly stands up, her hand gripping the desk for support.

"I don't need your help, Alex. Go back to your room and pack or whatever." she says, her knees unsteadily keeping her up. She looks like a deer on ice as she tries to walk to the front desk. He grabs her elbows, supporting her as she walks.

"Alex let go." she says, trying to push him away. His grip tightens as he closes the office door behind them.

"Alex take your hands off of me." she says, turning to face him, her breath hitting his face, smelling like alcohol. He removes his hands from her arms, and instead, picks her up, noticing how sickeningly light she is in his arms. He can feel her ribs through the thin fabric of her dress and the feeling made his stomach churn.

"Alex!" she says angrily.

"I'm not in the mood to clean up your injuries after you fall, alright?" he tells her. She shuts her mouth but crosses her arms over her chest. He carries her up the stairs of her house, setting her down in her bed.

"You're so strong, Alex." she sighs, leaning into his chest just as he is about to pull away.

"Norma-" he says with warning as she wraps her arms around his neck. He gently reaches up and grabs her wrist, his hand enclosing around her entire wrist. He gently tugs at her arm, pulling her off of him.

"Norma have you been eating?" he asks as he pushes her to lay back onto her pillows. She laughs lazily and looks up at him with a knowing smile.

"I've been eating too much, Alexander." she says, giggling.

"Alexander." she says slowly.

"It's a pretty name. So is Alex. Alex is a pretty name." she tells him.

"Thank you." he says, pulling the blankets up around her small body.

"You're very pretty." she tells him, reaching up to touch his cheek, her thumb clumsily running over his dark eyelashes, making him flinch.

"And your eyes are different. They're brown. And dark. But when they're in the light, they're like...hazel." she tells him.

"Is that so?" he asks, standing up to put her shoes away.

"I could stare at them for...forever." she says to him.

"I'll be right back." he tells her, walking to the bathroom to get her a glass of water. When he walks back, he finds her dress in a heap beside the bed. She had taken it off and recovered herself with her blankets, for which Alex was grateful. He didn't know how much control her would've had if she had displayed herself to him. Even the sight of her bare shoulders peaking out from the blanket was enough to distract his thoughts.

"I like that word." she says out of the blue.

"Huh?" Alex asks, setting the water on the bedside table.

"Forever. I like that forever doesn't exist but there is still a word to describe it. It's beautiful and doomed." she tells him.

"I feel that way sometimes." she says as he hands her the glass of water.

"Beautiful?" he asks.

"And doomed." she tells him before taking a small sip of water. She hands the glass back to him and he sets it on the table again.

"You always take such good care of me, Alex. I never thank you. Why do you take care of me when I am mean to you?" she asks with concern. Alex smiles, trying to decide whether to tell her the truth or not.

"You've been through so much already. If I can ease the pain...take a little weight off of your shoulders..." he trails off, not wanting to say too much in case she does remember this in the morning.

"Thank you." she whispers, her eyes slipping shut. Alex hesitates for a moment longer before stepping out and shutting the door quietly behind him.

When Norma finally wakes up, the first thing she feels is a pounding in her head. She peels her eyes open only to quickly shut them again to avoid the burning. It was far too bright in her room with the sun shining onto her through her sheer curtains. She forces her eyes open and slowly sits, grabbing her robe off of the chair next to her bed and slipping her arms through. She ties the robe around her and slowly stands up, only to be met with a sudden feeling of nausea.

She covers her mouth with her hand and runs to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before she pukes out whatever was in her stomach. It was probably all alcohol, considering she hasn't eaten since breakfast the previous morning. Once she is finished, she wipes her mouth on the back of her hand and stands up slowly, flushing the toilet.

She slowly makes her way downstairs, pausing every few steps to take deep breaths and push the nausea away. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she stops with shock when she notices Alex sleeping on her couch.

When did he come over?

Her eyes remain on his sleeping form as she cautiously walks to him like a lion stalking its prey. She slowly reaches out and runs a hand through his hair before she can realize what she is doing. He stirs slightly before falling back asleep. She knows she should wake him but he looked so peaceful. The usual glare that he wore was gone, replaced with a look of serenity. Norma hated to be the one to take him from his peaceful dreams, but she knew he might have to work soon.

"Alex." she whispers, grabbing his shoulder. He jolts awake, his eyes scanning the room before settling on her.

"Norma? Hey. What time is it?" he asks groggily, his hand rubbing the sleep away from his face.

"Almost eight. Did you sleep alright?" she asks, ignoring the bile rising in her throat. He sits up and nods, still rubbing his face.

"Yeah." he says, his voice deeper than usual which Norma found strangely sexy. He finally looks up at her, noticing her pale, clammy state.

"You okay?" he asks. She moves to nod but the bile that was rising in her throats began to speed up, making her put her hand over her mouth again and run to the bathroom. Alex quickly follows, rubbing her back as she dry heaves into the toilet, her body convulsing with each round. Alex's eyebrows knit together with worry as his hand that is rubbing her back runs over her spine that is protruding from her back.

When Norma is finished, she sits on the ground and closes the lid of the toilet, resting her cheek on the cold lid. Her eyes glance at Alex and she sits up as if only now noticing his presence.

"Sorry." she whispers, wiping her mouth.

"Norma, when was the last time you ate?" he asks, helping her up to her feet.

"Uh, just...last night." she lies, trying to leave the bathroom. Alex steps in front of her, his eyes searching hers.

"What did you eat?" he asks.

"What?" she asks, trying to buy time.

"Why are you lying?" he asks, his face displaying a small amount of hurt.

"I'm not." she says with a shrug, pulling her robe tighter around her.

"If you had eaten last night, you wouldn't be dry heaving." he tells her. She sighs and looks away from his demanding eyes.

"I ate breakfast yesterday. I was just so busy with the motel and-"

"What did you eat?" he asks.

"A few pieces of fruit." she tells him.

"Come here. I'll make you something." he says, grabbing her hand and leading her into the kitchen. It was the first time Alex had grabbed her hand and he seemed to notice, dropping it as soon as they arrived in the kitchen.

"That's alright, Alex. I'll just grab some fruit." Norma says, grabbing an apple.

"You need real food." he tells her.

"It is real food. And...I...i'm on a diet." she tells him with embarrassment.

"A diet? What kind of diet?" Alex asks with concern. Perhaps this is the reason for her sudden dramatic drop in weight.

"It's mainly just fruit and water." she says casually. Alex takes the apple from her hand before she can take a bite.

"Norma that isn't healthy. You're not getting any protein." he tells her.

"It's none of your business, Alex." she says defensively.

"I could feel your ribs when I carried you to the house yesterday. I could feel your spine when I was rubbing your back today. This isn't healthy." he tells her seriously.

"Alex I am fine. I need to lose weight and-"

"Why?" he asks, catching her off guard.

"What?" she asks.

"Why do you need to lose weight?"

She glances down at her bare feet before looking back at him. She didn't want to tell him about how she discovered her weight gain but she couldn't think of another excuse.

"Come here." she tells him, walking out of the kitchen. He follows her up the stairs and into her bedroom, hesitating by the doorway.

"Norma, what-"

"This." she says, pulling the white dress out of her closet. Alex slowly steps forward and takes the dress into his hands. It was a beautiful dress, sure. It just didn't seem like it was Norma's style. It was too plain. She deserves something elegant, something that shows her unique personality.

"Why do you have this?" he asks. Was she planning on getting married? Alex didn't even know she was dating.

"It was from my last marriage."

Alex looks up from the dress and sees the mix of sadness and pain in her blue eyes. The confused look must still be on his face, because she continues with her story.

"I tried it on a few weeks ago and it...it wouldn't fit. I didn't even realize I had gained weight but...I just..." she trails off, looking ashamed.

"I thought that maybe if I go on a diet, I could fit into it again and then maybe...well maybe men would find me attractive again." she says, her cheeks going slightly pink. Alex drops the dress to the ground and steps over it to her. She looks up with surprise as he stands closer to her than he ever had before.

"Norma you really think you weren't beautiful before?" he asks.

"I was over weight-"

"Norma look at yourself." he says, turning her around to face the mirror. He reaches up around her and pulls at her robe, opening the top of it to display more of her chest yet still keeping her boobs covered.

"Do you see your bones? They're not supposed to be sticking out like that." he tells her, reaching up to touch her collarbone.

"See?" he asks, turning her back to the mirror and pulling one side of her robe down to display her spine. He ignores the fact that one of her breasts is now out in the open, pressed against his chest.

Norma gasps as she sees each and every bone of her spine and ribs. She reaches back, her fingers running over her side, feeling her ribs.

"You are so much more than your waist size, Norma Louise." he whispers, staring at her through the mirror as he pulls her robe back over her shoulder for her.

"That's what you say to someone who is fat." she tells him. He grabs her chin, making her turn her head back to the front to look up at him.

"You are beautiful. _You._ Not the size number on your dress, not the way you style your hair, _you._ You were beautiful before you starved yourself. You are beautiful now. And you would be beautiful even if you were ten times the size you are now. Understand?" he asks. She seems to be fighting with her thoughts and for a moment, Alex would give anything just to take a peak at what's going on in her head.

"I...I want to try it on one last time." she whispers. Alex sighs but nods, knowing he won't be able to stop her.

"One last time. And then the dress goes back in the closet and you and I are going to go get a burger." he tells her. She smiles and nods, enjoying this demanding side of Alex.

"I'll wait outside of your room." he says, walking out. She closes the door, leaving Alex in the hall.

The front door opens and shuts and Alex looks down at Norman who is running up the stairs while Dylan and Emma walk in casually behind him. When Norman sees Alex standing outside of Norma's bedroom, he stops dead in his tracks.

"Sheriff, is there a problem?" Norman asks, still trying to catch his breath. Dylan and Emma catch up to them, and Dylan looks at Alex curiously.

"Yeah. I'm just waiting." he says casually. Norman walks toward Alex and stops a few feet away.

"Waiting on what?" Dylan asks, standing next to Norman.

As if on cue, Norma's door opens and she steps out looking flustered. Her hands grip the back of her dress that still won't seem to close. She stops when she sees Dylan and Norman standing next to Alex, all three boys staring at her.

"Oh. I...I didn't know you guys were home." Norma says.

"Did we...interrupt something?" Emma asks with confusion, glancing at Alex who is blushing.

"I just...I can't fit into my wedding dress anymore." Norma says, feeling the sting of tears form in her eyes. Alex steps forward to comfort her but remembers the three kids and stops himself.

"Oh. Yeah that...that might be my fault." Dylan says with a sheepish smile. Everyone turns to him with confusion.

"I...a few months back I was going through your closet, looking for one of my shirts that I lost. I thought it might've accidentally wound up with your stuff. Anyways, I was in a hurry and I managed to somehow snag your dress with my watch. It tore down the side. I freaked out and took it to my room to sew it back together." Dylan tells them.

"See?" he asks, pointing to the large seem that ran down the side of the dress.

"Well turns out I am bad at sewing. And the dress ended up being quite a bit smaller than it was originally. I didn't think you would notice. I mean how was I supposed to know you would try it on?" Dylan asks with a shrug.

Norma looks at Alex, a mix of relief and frustration in her eyes. Her hands release the back of the dress, letting the fabric sag around her body. She holds it up in the front to stop it from falling down her body. She giggles lightly, looking down at the dress and the skinny hands that hold the dress. Her giggles turn into laughs and eventually, Norma was struggling to catch her breath because she was laughing so hard.

"What's happening?" Emma asks, looking at Norma with confusion.

"She's happy." Alex says with a smile, his eyes never moving off of Norma. Norman glares at the sheriff for answering for his mother.

"Oh. Oh I'm such a dummy." she says as her laughs subside.

"What?" Dylan asks.

"What did I tell you? You're beautiful." Alex says, allowing himself to smile slightly. Dylan and Emma look at each other with surprise when they hear these words come from the smiling sheriff.

"How about that burger, sheriff?" Norma asks, leaning against her door frame.

"Get dressed first. I can't be seen with a woman in a wedding dress. People will start rumors." he says jokingly.

"Can't have that, now can we?" Norma asks with the same lightheartedness.

"Wait for me in the car. I'll be down in a moment." she tells him before slipping back into her room. Alex does as she says and walks downstairs, out the front door.

"What did we miss?" Emma asks Dylan.

"I...I think we missed quite a bit. It seems like Romero and Norma are...flirting?" Dylan says, unsure. Emma laughs at glances at Norman who seems to be unable to keep a scowl off of his face. Norma walks out in a summer dress, her mood seeming even lighter than before.

"Stop frowning. You'll get wrinkles." she says to Norman, using her thumb to rub between his scowling eyebrows. He pushes her hand away and walks into his room, slamming the door behind him.

"I'll be back in time to make dinner. You're welcome to join us, Emma." Norma offers.

"Yeah. Thank you." Emma says, still in disbelief of everything that just went down.

"Have fun." Emma calls after Norma as she walks downstairs. The door closes behind her and Emma and Dylan turn to each other, giggling.

"Do you think they're doing it?" Emma whispers loudly.

"Oh, no doubt." Dylan says with a laugh.


End file.
